At the Car Wash...

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I may be a part-time conspiracy theorist, but I often question the validity of the $25 supreme car wash selection. Does the machine perform an extra twirl if I choose the more expensive version? Am I getting ripped off? Should I stick with the poor man's $5 option?

eternalbl

For 25 bucks a person should be washing your car. That's my opinion at least.

SmokeStacks

The poor man's option is a plastic bucket, a sponge, some dish soap, and a hose.

When you run your car through the $5 wash, does it look nice? When you run your car through the $25 wash, does it look five times nicer?

There is no reason why you should be spending $25 for a car wash, that is ridiculous. If your car was some sort of exotic supercar that would warrant a car wash that expensive, you wouldn't want it going through an automatic wash anyway.

VisionOfClarity

I spend $14 for them to wash my car and the undercarriage.

Robman

Just buy 25 bucks worth of fancy shampoo and wax and do it by hand if you're that concerned about your car. The only carwash I'll go to is one of the DIY pressure washing places, because they're convenient and don't have moving parts that can damage your car.

MichaelLC

eternalbl wrote: »

For 25 bucks a person should be washing your car. That's my opinion at least.

Seconded, don't pay $25 for a machine.

Using one of the auto-rollers isn't a great idea anyway, but get whatever the cheapest option is if you're going to do it. A hand wash really is the smartest way to go.

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Robman wrote: »

Just buy 25 bucks worth of fancy shampoo and wax and do it by hand if you're that concerned about your car. The only carwash I'll go to is one of the DIY pressure washing places, because they're convenient and don't have moving parts that can damage your car.

I don't want it to damage my truck, either, but it's f**king cold outside.

Yeah, I've always thought the more expensive versions were a total rip off.

jedikuonji

Yea, $25 isn't worth it. My dad did maintenance for some car wash places while he went to school a few years back and the higher priced options got you a little better wash, but the car wash also got better profit. Think of it like this, the $5 wash costs the place, let's say, $2, but the $25 wash costs the place $4.

RUNN1NGMAN

Usually the "Supreme" wash includes "Rain X" or "Tire Shine" or some other special treatment that is completely worthless. For an automatic car wash, the only thing that's worth anything is the actual wash and wax (although the benefit of car wash wax is pretty negligible, it does offer a little protection). Everything else is totally worthless.

As for the relative price, in some jurisdictions automatic car washes have been saddled with some pretty high fees because of the ridiculous amount of waste water they produce. So that could be making the price of your car wash higher.

Lail

There should be some signage around that tells you what option gives you what service. Usually, like Runn1ngman said, it's just an added coating of some product. Some will give you TWO TIMES RINSE ACTION!!! Just look around for signage.

matt has a problem

That added coating of some extra product is usually completely counter productive. You really don't want the same wax product that you put on your paint all over your windshield and wipers.

ink4n3

Every automatic car wash I've ever used has some crap wax that makes a film over my car. I just go with the cheapest option if I'm taking it to an automatic one.

MushroomStick

I'd look for a brushless car wash. A friend of mine bought a new car a few years ago and the dealership had an auto car wash that they ran it through and it tore one of the windshield wipers off, flipped it around, and smashed the windshield.

retrovm

brushless car washes are the best. i pay 15 bucks to get mine washed, and they hose down the rubber mats, clean the dash/windshield, and vacuum the inside too. so awesome.

SmokeStacks

Before my car was destroyed I'd pay a couple of neighborhood kids to do it. They were nine and ten. I did not have a brand new car, though. Gives the kids some videogame money and an excuse to play with a hose.

I know kids these days are all shits with no sense of responsibility and all that, so maybe I just got lucky living where I was, but for the price of $10 and a few cans of Mountain Dew I had the cleanest car on the block.

Figgy

I always take mine to the coin operated, do-it-yourself places. I throw in an extra dollar or two and end up spending maybe $4-$6.

I've never had an automatic wash I was satisfied with.

MushroomStick

Figgy wrote: »

I've never had an automatic wash I was satisfied with.

Agreed. But, as the OP has stated already, its really fucking cold outside right now.